Considering the profound impact of growing up—including working, playing, and forming relationships—in a fully digital world, this book charts the political, social, economic, and personal effects of digital mediation on Korean digital natives.
Drawing on in-depth interviews and observations of young Korean adults, the author proposes a digital modus vivendi comprising four intersectional and transformative parts: pragmatic, entrepreneurial, political, and solitary. Across each of these domains, questions are addressed concerning how these people have developed, what aspirations they hold, and what forms of social and political collectives they have forged in their digital lives. Taking a combinational view of interlacing social structures (politics, economics, culture, personal life) and affective subjectivity (participatory, entrepreneurial, practical, and solitary) allows for readers to compare not only their harmonious and developmental features, but also their difficult and at times contradictory nature.
Situated in between cultural, philosophical, and critical studies on digital media, this book contributes significantly to our understanding of platform capitalism and the multifaceted reality of young lives in the present day.
By:
Yeran Kim
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 138mm,
Weight: 420g
ISBN: 9781032602837
ISBN 10: 103260283X
Series: Routledge Focus on Communication and Society
Pages: 130
Publication Date: 25 August 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Preface Introduction: What has become of South Korea’s young people, born into a profoundly digitalised world? Chapter 1: Homo laborans: Love, play, and work Chapter 2: Homo economicus: Young and precarious investors Chapter 3: Homo solitarius: Solitude and difference Chapter 4: Homo politicus: A defiant collectivity and solidarity Conclusion References Index
Yeran Kim is a professor in the School of Communications, Kwangwoon University, Seoul, South Korea.
